2005 Football

Jake Slager's Italy trip journal

Sophomore Jake Slager (defensive back) will be keeping a journal of his trip to Italy
with the Bluffton University football team. The following is a first hand account
of the team's experience as they tour the country.

Tuesday, Wednesday- Bon giorno from Italy! Welcome to the Bluffton University football team's journal
from our two week trip in Europe. Each day we'll post current news about our exciting
and intellectual trip. I, Jake Slager, will be writing the journal each day, with
the input of the other football players and the other students on the cross-cultural
trip. Each journal entry will include the days events, any interesting encounters
with other people or places, and our reflections on the trip from food to the Colliseum.
This long awaited trip has finally arrived, and it started bright and early.

6 a.m.- Wake up and get into our travel suits to head to the airport at Columbus
for the start of the trip. We all arrived around 9 a.m. (except for Coach Brooks
who was a bit late!) and checked our baggage and then played cards and waited around
until our flight left just after noon. Our plane departed for Atlanta and gave us
a bumpy ride with plenty of turbulence, especially for the few that hadn't ever flown
before. We made the huge Atlanta International Airport our home for the next 3 hours
as we continued our migration with the herd of football players and students until
we finally loaded the giant 777 Delta flight headed straight to Milan, Italy. I was
filled with enthusiasm, still deeply wrapped in the surreal idea that we were finally
headed to Italy. Most felt the same emotions; some were more scared, like Schwab
and Albers who had a bit of sweat forming on their foreheads at the time of takeoff.
We sat as comfortable as big football players can get into little economy class seats
on our 9-hour flight that traveled at over 500 mph at 39,000 feet at a temperature
of 60 degrees Fahrenheit and kept entertained with movies and Delta radio. A pillow
and blanket were available for those who could catch some sleep in the four hours
of darkness that we experienced, although many of us never slept. I personally felt
robbed of a night of sleep since we literally warped a quarter of a day- a weird transition
for never experiencing it before.

We arrived in Milan at 9:15 a.m. and picked up our luggage, fortunately none was lost,
and sat on a brand spanking new bus as our tour guide Leo described for a 2-hour ride
that was supposed to last 20 minutes, due to an accident in the busy city of Milan.
Italians fascinate me in the way they drive almost recklessly in and out of traffics,
especially those on the small vespas that weave through traffic like a pinball that
never touches anything. Everyone drives the same style tiny little cars, probably
because gas is around 7 dollars a gallon here! They also make full use of the little
space allowed between streets with their tiny cars, parking anywhere and everywhere;
on sidewalks, curbs, and medians without even abiding to any parking signs. Even
our bus driver Antonio can whip our 60 foot bus around corners like it's a boat on
the water.

We eventually made it to the Duomo in the heart of the city, the fourth largest church
in the world that could accommodate over 100,000 people at one time according to Leo.
We ate lunch on our own, and experienced a high level of culture shock due to difficult
language barriers and the stares that people glued on us because of our identical
travel suits and because of being such a large group of Americans. The experience
of being the foreigner in someone else's country I suppose is new to almost everyone,
and it's certainly a life changing experience that makes me think about how I treat
those who look different in my own country. The trip will certainly produce new and
revolutionary thoughts for many of us concerning the issue.

Our new bus accommodated us once again, this time for a four-hour trip that brought
us to Venice, where we'll stay 3 more days until our football game in Trieste. We're
in a hotel just off the Asiatic Sea, and the street is filled with shops and small
stores carrying items from clothes to groceries. The scenery is beautiful here, and
we're looking forward to visiting some of the 117 islands that make up Venice. Next
to the sight of the astonishing Alps outside the plane window, it's the most beautiful
scenery we've witnessed yet. Our eagerness to taste the abundance of delicious Italian
food was first met by a full course meal in our hotel tonight, and it's nearly time
to call it a night since many of us have been awake for over 24 hours now. We're
looking forward to the next day, beginning with our first practice, and then sight
seeing the islands of Venice and whatever else this elegant city has to offer us.
It's good to be here, and the only thing sweeter than the tierra misu dessert we tasted
tonight is the anticipation and excitment of all that we have yet to see on this once
in a lifetime opportunity. That's the view from here, so until next time ciao!

Thursday- Bongiorno once again from the islands of Venice! Today we began the day with a fabulous
breakfast in our hotel complete with croissants, parfaits, and egg sandwiches and
much more. Starting with a large breakfast that will probably be one of the better
ones we ever receive from a hotel was a great jumpstart to the day. We then had our
first practice, in full pads and uniforms a few blocks from our hotel at a soccer
field in town. It was good to strap on the pads again and review the stunts, blitzes,
and plays we've worked on all spring and finally bring it together for the game in
just a few days.

After cleanup, some of us threw on our trunks and took a run into the waves of the
Adriatic Sea. The award of the day went out to James Fay and Steve Sinn for being
the first two to brave the brutally cold water of the sea. The salty water numbed
our bodies within seconds and I got chased on the shore back into the sea until I
fell down by a few friends- it was a fun morning in Venice.

After cleanup and a nap for some, we loaded Antonio's bus and drove to the Sea where
we met our private boat that took us into the island that holds St. Mark's Basilica
and the Doge's Palace. We split into two groups and took a long tour through the
Doge's Palace filled with magnificent artwork and stories behind the place of council
and political judgment in ancient Venice. The artwork portrayed the importance of
religion from the gods such as Neptune and Jupiter as well as Christ and Mother Mary.
The Doge's Palace, Italian for Duke, showed how the government of the Venetian's was
felt by them to be very highly approved by God. The artwork showed this in rooms
of all sizes and artwork in extra fine detail. The tour concluded with a walk over
the Bridge of Sighs, an ancient canal bridge named for its path into the dark prison
on the other side where prisoners made their final steps from freedom into a long
lasting death. The jail cells were dark and unbreakable, as surely as the minds of
the prisoners must have been that sat in them.

We then took a tour through St. Mark's Basilica, the church of the gospel writer Mark.
The church contains the world's most magnificent mosaics, layered with gold and glass
laid on all different angles to produce certain shades and colors to the effect of
the artwork. The church showed obvious scars from flooding and years. It also is
said to hold the body of the gospel writer.

The rest of the afternoon was free, and many took the brilliant opportunity to ride
a gondola through the canals. If they were lucky, the gondolier sang as he rowed
through the tight canals in between the city buildings. The city is relatively quiet,
largely because the traffic on the island is strictly pedestrian. Besides the noise
of the flocks of pigeons, the sound of the water splashing against gondolas and boats,
and the amplified voices of tour guides, the city is a very peaceful and magical place.
The day has been fun and vibrant with more of a taste of what this European country
is like. Venezia as they say in Italian is truly a magical place, filled with all
the riches of Italy; artwork, magnificent galleries of remarkable historical figures,
and plenty items to buy and just as much food to go around. That's the view from
here, until tomorrow ­ciao!

Friday- Bonoserra! Our last day in Venice has been quite a treat, a great toast to our stay
in this magical city. For some, the language barrier is being tackled a bit by interacting
with Italians more frequently, and through the use of phrase books and dictionaries,
or by asking Professor Sullivan. The last day consisted of our usual filling breakfast,
followed by practice and an optional lunch on our own in the city.

After lunch, those who wanted to go back to the island of St. Mark's Square rode the
public waterbus. Others chose to relax back at the hotel and played touch football
on the beach and relaxed by the pool. Those of us who went into the main square enjoyed
a sunshine filled afternoon as we walked around the various shops. Some took a gondola
ride for the first or second time, and others fed the hundreds of pigeons in the main
square. Oggi (today) was relaxing, slow paced, leisurely and fun day. Tomorrow morning
we will head to Trieste where we'll play our long awaited game at 4:30pm. Our opponents,
a semi pro team, called the Trieste Mustangs consists of some American military men
and other Italians from ages 18-44 who are looking forward to taking on the Bluffton
Beavers in a fun and exciting game of American Football. That's the view from here,
until next time, Ciao!

Saturday- We woke up in the beautiful city of Trieste, ready and eager to play some football
americano overseas. We arrived at the field, a soccer field converted to a football
stadium with bars on the goal to make a goal post but no hash marks or yard lines.
The game was a display of our talents for the Italians to learn from our techniques
and skills so that they can continue to produce interest in American football, and
although it was a blowout on the scoreboard, and I cannot speak for everyone, it was
one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. Nothing but great sportsmanship
was offered from both teams, and following the game, the United States National Anthem
played followed by Italys national anthem, and the feeling of pride I felt then was
greater than ever before. We shook hands, exchanged t shirts and shared in conversation
and laughter over a cookout after the game. The rain just held off long enough for
us to take pictures and change out of our uniforms, and then we enjoyed a night out
on the town.

Sunday- The team loaded up once again on Antonio's bus, our awesome Italian bus driver, and
relaxed in our seats for an all day trip to Florence. We made a stop for lunch, and
enjoyed the beautiful countryside on our way into the large city. Our hotel in Florence
was the nicest yet, consisting of apartment style rooms complete with a living room,
kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom for each trio of guys and girls. The city of Florence
was filled with busy streets and the smell of leather from the countless leather shops
in downtown Firenzia (Italian for Florence). We enjoyed two incredible meals while
in Florence, and the dinners here just seem to keep getting better each day. The process
of dinner is different from our culture here as well, it's a time of conversation
and fellowship as well as the enjoyment of the delicious pastas, soups, meats, and
tasty desserts. Florence is famous for its trade of sheepskin leather, and the shops
downtown all have unlimited amounts of coats, purses, and pouches ranging from $50
Euros to $1000. A couple of the guys did some heavy bargaining and came out with
some good deals to bring gifts back or buy coats for themselves. While in Firenzia,
we also toured another beatiful Duomo (church) and the Santa Croce, each filled with
artwork and a tour message through a radio for each person on the tour.

Monday - Our next adventure began with a magnificent view as we drove through the Appenine
Mountain range, which are actually part of the Alps as our tour guide described to
us. Just as the mountains wind and turn through the vast area, so do the openings
of plateaus cleared out for olive trees and grape vines that are nestled into the
country side. The country is absolutely beautiful here. Our stop in the city of
Florence was fun, another larger and busy city in Italy, famous for its popular trade
of sheepskin leather. After cramping into the smaller hotels so far, it was a relief
to spread out and have some more space again while we were in Florence. We enjoyed
another tour of the famous artwork, and took photos from a sky view of the city where
a copy of Michelangelos statue of David sits perched over the giant city. After a
night out at a wonderul restaurant, Patrick said his final remarks and goodbyes and
handed out some awards for the trip. The dinner was absolutely fabulous, and everyone
left full. We headed to a club to meet other Italians and called it a night.

The next morning was free, so some went back into Florence while others caught up
on a bit of sleep, and we loaded the bus again for the little down of Vinci, home
to the famous engineer, architect, and artist Leonardo Da Vinci. Hence, the latter
part of his name, because this quiet and peaceful village was his home. We toured
through a castle that contained some of his engineering work; he studied things from
how a wing is able to fly to locks for canals and rivers to ways to walk on water.
The museum was very fascinating, and the town was as peaceful as still water. We
enjoyed a nice lunch and the scenery of the mountains again loaded with olive trees
and vineyards, and drove to Pisa.

Despite a rainy afternoon in Pisa, we toured through what I considered to be the most
beautiful Duomo we have visited, again large enough to play a football game inside
it seemed, rich in color and art that pictures cannot even bring justice to. Nearly
everyone took pictures of themselves holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the world
famous structure, and it seemed surreal to be at such a famous monument.

Tuesday - We arrived in Sienna after dinner in Pisa, and took a walk back in time to the 12th
and 13th centuries in this elegant hill town. The mountains in all they glory eccentuated
the hilly roads in Sienna, a town famous for an ancient horse race that takes place
in the city center. Every year, in the town square a group of horses and jockeys
race around the slanted brick circle, in a dangerous yet interesting race that has
been going on for centuries. The people love this race tradition, and it completely
fills the square each year. Because of the popularity of this tradition, the town
of Sienna was also popular for a joint relationship between the religion of the people
and the regions in which they lived. Each church, including the most famous one of
St. Catherine in the town, holds flags for each regional area of the city that each
enters their own horse into the race that is allowed to enter the church and be blessed
by the bishop. It was fun walking around looking at the various shops in the hill
town, and interesting to see a more ancient city than we have seen yet.

Wednesday - The sky could not have been more beautiful on this day, and the crystal clear light
was a relief to see after a few days of rain. We had an entirely free day in Assissi,
famous for being the home of St. Francis, a spectacular saint of his time. We took
a tour through the chuch of St. Francis, and observed many frescoes and paintings
resembling the similarities with this patron saint compared to Jesus Christ himself.
Everyone walked around the magnificent city, and enjoyed the most glorious day yet.
Walking around in the towns and cities here consists of simply getting lost, without
trying, and the group I was with got lost in the pefect spot. We saw a set of stairs
headed up a large mountain, and took it up without hesitation, unknowing of where
it would lead. What lie ahead was a castle on the very top of the mountain, overlooking
the valleys below and mountains in the distance that could be seen for miles. The
view was spectacular, and to me helped me come to the full realization that I am actually
in Italy, this glorious country so rich in the history of humanity. The day was the
best of all for many of us, and the blue skies doused with cotton candy white clouds
perched gloriously overhead made everyone taste a little bit of heaven on earch today.

Thursday,Friday - We left the peaceful town of Assisi and the town of our hotel down from the hill,
San Maria del Angela and headed farther South again. We toured around the outskirts
of Naples and again enjoyed the view of the Apennine Mountain range. The sun was
shining bright again, and we were headed for the beach of the Mediterranean. Our
hotel was another four star hotel complete with balconies for most of us overlooking
a brilliant of the Mediterranean Sea. Everyone changed and ran down hundreds of stairs
in order to get to the beach; the water was warm and a few of us swam out and conquered
some rocks as the waves crashed into the shore. I decided to climb up a cliff and
take a jump into the water, and soon after nearly everyone had followed suite. We
came back to the hotel and entertained the other guests as we joked around in the
pool, and I could definitely sense the unification that we were getting from spending
this time together overseas. We trusted each other when we jumped off the cliff,
and when we made the man tower 3 people tall in the pool; I just remember how strong
of a bond I felt between the team, and it will surely pay off in the fall. All of
the hard work of practices and meetings during the spring intertwined with a rigorous
academic experience to get to Italy were all part of the adventure and the paid for
the fun we were enjoying. The most fun times on the trip seem to be when everyone
is together.

Saturday: Pompeii - After a night out meeting other Italians and even some Canadians studying overseas,
we loaded one last time before our final destination and drove to Pompeii. This ancient
city was covered in ash after a volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, and the
remains of the city allow archaeologists to learn a great deal about the people of
this city that once was a lively and vibrant place of 15,000 people. The city was
one of the most fascinating places I have ever witnessed. To see how people over
2000 years ago lived, and how intellectual and practical they were generally speaking
for being such an ancient society was incredible. Their roads and sidewalks were
crossed with stepping stones since the sewer system ran through the streets; they
had sliding doors and the tracks remained on the front of the homes or shops; we could
even learn what kind of food they ate and some of the bakeries in the town still had
bread in the ovens after the city was covered in 6 meters of ash and preserved since
decomposition and oxygen could not reach under the ash. One house was a beautiful
9000 square foot home with a fountain and garden, and large open rooms even larger
than many houses today. It is no exaggeration to say that the walk back in time to
before the time of Christ was life changing, at least for me. It's so amazing to
witness the rich history of humanity that remains locked like a treasure here in this
little country 4,000 miles from home.

Sunday: Rome - We've finally arrived at our final destination, and the anticipation to get here
is finally over. We enjoyed another delicious Italian dinner in its usual 2 hour
form since the Italians place such a high emphasis on fellowship at dinner and making
plenty of food for in between. My excitement was high, and it was hard to sleep
because of the anticipation of the Coliseum. We walked down to the giant structure
in the morning and took photos outside by position, and met our tour guide John Carlo
who would be with us the next two days through our tour of ancient Roma. The Coliseum
was as massive as a modern baseball stadium, even though only 33% of it remains due
to a terrible earthquake long ago and others taking much of the marble remains from
the structure for use in other buildings. What remains is nothing short of incredible
though either, but I cannot imagine how awesome the entire building must have been
to a Roman in the time it was built. The Flavian Amphitheater, the true name of the
Coliseum due to the family that built it, opened in 80 AD for 100 days straight of
gladiator battles and hunts of beasts. Something like 4000 animals and 800 gladiators
were killed in its opening debut. It took 9 years to complete the Coliseum, and its
incredible to think that it held up to 50,000 Romans who could enter through their
designated gate for free in this war driven society to watch gruesome entertainment
in the same size structure that we watch baseball and football games from today.
We continued through ancient Rome and saw the remains of the Roman Forum and listened
to the story of the great Julius Caesar and then toured Rome on our own for the rest
of the day.

Monday - We woke up extra early to get the group through the express line at the Vatican today,
escorted again by our professor like guide John Carlo. Thousands upon thousands of
people enter the Vatican daily, a 109 acre state separate from Italy with its own
police force, stamps, currency and more. People around us pushed and shoved to hustle
in, and we first toured through Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, named after Pope Sistus
VI. We listened to long lectures by John Carlo, who was more full of details than
a book on the city. The massive church of St. Peter's Basilica can be seen from practically
anywhere in the city, and walking into the largest church in the world made us feel
like ants: a sculpture 10 feet above us on a pillar looked to be about 3 feet tall,
but was actually 6'3". A ledge above us that appeared to be a few feet wide was actually
wide enough to drive a hummer on, and the people in the enormous dome, the fortress
of the church looked as tiny as my finger. Each next largest church in the world
is marked on the floor in the Nave leading up to the Apse. The nave stretches 600
feet, 2 football fields worth, and J.O. and I couldn't help but want to test out how
large it really was by tossing a football around. We completed the day with a lecture
on Catholicism to become more familiar with the religion since Italy is 99.9% Catholic,
and the talk with questions and answers was very helpful in gaining a better understanding
of its structure and motives for all of us.

Tuesday - Our last day in Rome was entirely free, and I took full advantage of touring all
that I could in the city, and the group I was with walked over 6 hours, it'd be interesting
to have kept track of the all the miles we've walked in Italy over the last two weeks.
Some of the group went downtown and did some shopping for gifts to take home, and
the group I was with first headed to every Monument left of the map in Rome- to seize
the opportunity while we had the chance. We first visited the Spanish Steps, completed
with one of Bernini's many fountains that sprinkle the city in nearly every other
piazza in Rome. We witnessed the cemetery of 4,000 monks, a grave of their bones
that they left to glorify God and make those of us who would see their bones as a
reminder that we too will face death. In the last room of the bones artistically
yet eerily structured together into various shapes and forms, read an inscription
that said, "Just as you are now, we once were; just as we are now you will be." The
sight was the most sobering thing I've ever seen, yet interesting too. We stepped
into a few more of the various churches in Rome, and saw more artwork, some of which
was done by Michelangelo Carnegie, a Baroque artist who redefined realism after the
Renaissance. My appreciation for art is not near what many others are, but I really
enjoyed his work on St. Peter and Paul and its realistic depiction of their conversion
and crucifixion. The group I was with also saw the prison of Peter and Paul, the
last play where they were before they were martyred in Rome. We walked through the
long open area where the chariot races used to take place, and finally past the Coliseum
and said goodbye to it and to Rome as we packed for the journey home.

Wednesday - The trip has been one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. It's been fun to
see the various sights that are so influential and hold deep meaning to the history
of humanity and the things we have to today is largely responsible to the people who
once inhabited Italy. The challenge of being engulfed in another culture has been
a type of battle similar to a football game; facing the adversity of the language
barrier, and not always having things go the way that we wanted them to, but in the
end the experience helps shape how we think and act after all is said and done. The
food has been great, and although it's hard to feed 50 hungry football players, most
twice the size of the average Italian, our last meal may have been one of the best
with our own individual pizzas and plates of spaghetti complete with a gelato from
Leo. We glanced at the Pantheon, a building dedicated to the ancient Roman gods and
took a group photo, and completed our stay by paying a visit to the Trevi Fountain.
This fountain is famous for those visiting Rome to come to and make two wishes after
throwing a coin over your shoulder: one to come back to Rome, and the other for whatever
you like- though I'm sure that several of us had the same goal and wish in mind concerning
all the work that has been put in to make us a better team! The experience could not
have been better for us as a team to grow closer together, and I cannot express how
cool it was to get to know people that I didn't know as well before, and especially
fun to get to know the Coach's wives as well. It makes the team truly feel like the
family that it is, especially after a two week trip like this one. Italy is a great
place with many great things to see and do, but it also makes home that much sweeter
to come back to. Thanks for reading the journal and for everyone's thoughts and prayers
as we have all come back safely home.